COLUMBIA, S.C. — As South Carolina begins a winter cooldown, families are facing issues with their heating units, causing packed schedules for maintenance companies.
Rebecca Johnson has been working at Stoudenmire Heating and Air Conditioning for two years. She says there is normally a sharp increase in service requests during the summer and the winter months.
“It's picking up, and it's picking up quick,” Johnson said.
She says this season her 15 technicians are being maxed out at six appointments a day, covering 800 units they service across the Midlands.
“You wake up and you have no heat. it's everything from thermostats not working right, motors going bad," Johnson said. "Unfortunately this time of year it's a lot of units needing to be replaced.”
According to Johnson, the best way to avoid a costly and unexpected replacement is to take preventative measures. This includes yearly checkups and services.
She notes without them, you could face a hefty price tag.
“Preventative maintenance is going to be key to not only catch big problems early but to extend the life of your unit," Johnson said. "Especially as we're cooling down, your units are running longer to keep your homes heated.”
Lindsay Hammer says forgetting basic maintenance on her unit caused a disruption for her entire building. She hopes others won't overlook their preventative maintenance.
“We turned the heat on and it made the fire alarm go off in the entire building because the filters hadn't been changed...make sure you get your filters changed and you get an entire apartment complex evacuated.”
Johnson also notes that Stoudenmire is hoping to give away some free HVAC units to families this year.
She said the goal is to donate spare units to some families in the area that might not otherwise be able to afford them.
Anyone interested is encouraged to visit their ‘contact’ page.